We knew some folks might wonder why SACHA would ask for money for new floors and not for running programs for survivors. I could hear it in my head:
“Why would they waste their money on floors?”
“Isn’t this money better spent on services?”
“This is wasteful! – why don’t you just clean the carpets?”
“Why does it cost so much?”

It’s true…for many, many years SACHA has not purchased these kinds of larger “capital” items and we have NEVER asked donors to fund this kind of item.

In fact, it took us many years to decide to spend $10, 000 for our recently installed phone system – even though we had staff who didn’t have phones in their offices. Even then, we only decided to act when we got a grant from Rotary Hamilton AM for new phones – thanks Rotary!

Any extra money SACHA has we spend on programming and related supplies like bus tickets, food, child minding, pens/makers, etc. We just don’t tend to have money left over to take care of our space. Over the years, we have consistently chosen to increase/augment services, instead of making our space more welcoming and functional – and it shows.

SACHA floors became an increasing source of embarrassment for us (and we have shampooed and shampooed the carpets – some stains from 15 years of heavy use just will not come out). Every time I let a new service user into the SACHA space I would want to apologize for the giant stain on the floor or the ripped carpet in the office or the smell from the latest water leakage. Anyone who has visited SACHA knows our office space is not grand; but our old, ripped carpets made it plain gross.

We believe survivors of violence need a safe, welcoming and not gross space to come for counselling and support. It was time to act.

At the end of March we realized we had some unexpected funds available and decided to begin making SACHA space more respectful. We did our research, met with contractors and learned way more about flooring than you can imagine. In the end we choose a non-fancy, waterproof, sturdy (and lovely) floor covering. Unfortunately, we did not have enough to cover the cost of replacing all the carpets. So…we choose the worst spaces first and decided to keep trying to find the money.

Cost: $10-$30 sliding scale. All the funds will go towards the travel costs of the facilitators with any extra funds raised going to support SACHA’s amazing programs supporting survivors of sexual assault and abuse. Please pay what you can afford. There are free spots available for folks who cannot afford to pay to register. Please contact Erin at erin@sacha.ca or 905.525.4573 to reserve a free spot at this workshop.RSVP:Online or by calling 905.525.4573 by Friday.

Cost: $10 Pay What You Can. NO ONE TURNED AWAY!Accessibility: Homegrown Hamilton’s space is accessible but the washrooms are a bit small.
All genders and ages are invited to come and get their loud dance on.

Presented by SACHA (www.sacha.ca) as a FUNdraiser for their work supporting survivors of sexual assault and ending violence and oppression.

A trauma-informed approach is increasingly becoming recognized as essential for working effectively with women who have experienced prolonged or repeated exposures to violence, abuse and neglect.

For service providers working with trauma survivors and hoping to form a therapeutic appliance, it is necessary to understand the relational schemas associated with trauma.

Dr. Lori Haskell is a clinical psychologist in private practice, whose work has been dedicated to working on issues of violence against women and children. She has worked for the last twenty years with women who were sexual abuse survivors. She has conducted research on the prevalence of sexual violence in women’s lives and on such topics as anti-violence education and intimate femicide. Dr. Haskell is an Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto.

Help SACHA to Have a Beautiful Welcoming Space for Survivors

For the month of May SACHA will be reaching out to the community for help replacing our old, worn, stained carpeting. You can help to make SACHA’s space a more welcoming brighter beautiful space for survivors by donating!